Happy Holidays. Big News. And Our First 'Ask.'

BART’s board of directors elected new leadership at its regular meeting last week and welcomed four new members. 

Find out what steps Mountain View is taking to cover a shortfall in funding for a public safety building after projected costs increased sharply.

Homeless San Jose State University students are struggling to find housing — and worry where they’re going to sleep at night as they stress over school work and passing grades.The Student Homeless Alliance, which advocates for unhoused SJSU students, is pushing to expand the number of emergency beds available and for seven safe parking spaces in garages for those living in their vehicles.

With the three newly elected members sworn in, the Mountain View Whisman School District Board of Trustees officially begins their new term. Read on to learn more about the new members.

In their December 18 meeting, the Saratoga City Council voted to appoint a new mayor and vice mayor. Read on to learn who was selected.

CAMPBELL IS PUTTING in homes wherever it can, including more than a dozen townhouses on less than an acre, to meet its housing goals.The Campbell Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve a 20-townhome development on 0.8 acres at 90 E. Latimer Ave. last month.

San Jose officials are sharing more details about the city’s first safe sleeping site for homeless residents as the March opening draws near.

San Jose is under pressure to expand a recently implemented streamlined infill housing policy. Find out why some feel the new policy needs to go further.

Blood donations drop over the holidays, but demand at hospitals remains the same. Beginning today, Stanford Blood Center is offering $20 gift cards and a chance to win a $3,000 grocery gift card through the season to donors at their mobile collection units.

Read on to learn how San Jose officials are demanding better reporting and tracking of effectiveness of millions of dollars spent through nonprofit partners on homeless services.

SAN JOSE TEMPORARILY limited meals for older adults at city community centers in early December amid a budget shortfall — a move that left recipients flustered.

The Sunnyvale City Council is about to see a demographic shift that will make its representation more reflective of the city’s population.The city will have a female majority on council with the election of Eileen Le in District 6 and Charlsie Chang in District 4, along with Councilmember Alysa Cisneros’ reelection in District 2 and sitting Councilmember Linda Sell. The city will also have its first Asian American majority, with Le and Chang alongside Sell and Vice Mayor Murali Srinivasan bringing a new dimension to the council.

In their December 16 meeting, the a newly elected board member was sworn in and new president and vice-president selected. Read on to meet the new New Mountain View Los Alto School Board.

Get the details behind why San Jose and non profit partners have initiated a count of homeless encampments along area creeks and streams.

Read on to learn more about the Sutter Health plans to redevelop two Santa Clara office complexes into health campuses.

Johnene Stebbins, a deputy district attorney in Santa Clara County, has been given an interim appointment as a judge in the Santa Clara County Superior Court by Gov. Gavin Newsom. 

A new California law will prohibit state-chartered banks from charging fees for withdrawals that are instantaneously declined.

The invasive South American housecat-sized semi-aquatic rodent is making the Bay Area a new home, and that's a problem. Read on to learn what wildlife officials are doing about it.

New operating rules for massive Delta systems will increase water deliveries to Southern California cities and some growers. Salmon numbers could drop, especially in dry years.

For California nurses seeking help with alcohol or drug abuse, the road to recovery through a program managed by their licensing board can be fraught, writes CalMatters health reporter Kristen Hwang.

Keith Poulsen's jaw dropped when farmers showed him images on their cellphones at the World Dairy Expo in Wisconsin in October. A livestock veterinarian at the University of Wisconsin, Poulsen had seen sick cows before, with their noses dripping and udders slack.

Learn more about how a deal from 2022 to extend operations of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant and a recent California Public Utilities Commission decision are leading to higher electricity bills across the state.

As the first serious case of bird flu in a human is reported and more dairy herds across the state are infected, California Governor Newsom declared a state of emergency. Read on to learn what that entails.

All high school students are required to take civics, but a lack of money can limit opportunities. And in some communities, parent objections pressure teachers to avoid certain topics.

California doctors are asking the state to create a ‘safe harbor’ program for addiction recovery. They say the current system discourages doctors from participating because they regard it as punitive.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decree that by 2035 all new cars sold in California must be powered by batteries or other zero-emission systems has received a double dose of legal and political support.

Cal Fire is taking applications for Camp Cinder, a free four-day, three-night immersive firefighter camp for young women ages 15-17. The program, led by women firefighters and offered June 23-26 in Shasta and San Luis Obispo, will teach rope skills, water rescues, hose movement, leadership and more,

The US EPA granted California’s waiver, which the incoming Trump administration is likely to try to overturn in the courts. The state’s zero-emission vehicle mandates have been the driving force behind California’s progress in cleaning up dangerous air pollutants.

Child care centers throughout California struggled to find people with the right credentials to look after their babies, toddlers and preschoolers. At the same time, many people who wanted to become early childhood educators faced difficulties in earning the credentials.

Use this explainer by the National Science Foundation-sponsored National Center for Atmospheric Research to understand atmospheric rivers and how they'll change as the climate warms.

California recorded historically high numbers of deaths in county jails for the past six years. Now, counties expect to house more prisoners as Prop. 36 takes effect.

Gov. Newsom and legislative Democrats pushed through a law that bans employers from requiring workers to attend ‘captive audience meetings.’ It was the latest victory for the labor movement at the state Capitol.

There’s no law requiring California property owners to carry insurance, but the vast majority buy it to protect themselves from fire and other perils, or are required to do so by their mortgage lenders.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s “Master Plan for Career Education” seeks to help the nearly 7 million adults in California who lack college degrees by giving them college credit for their work experience and by changing the requirements on some state jobs.